


Gravity

by Ninebubble



Category: EXO (Band), K-pop
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Explicit Sexual Content, IN SPACE!, M/M, Space Battles, Space Opera, Space Pirates, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-04-06 15:38:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19065574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninebubble/pseuds/Ninebubble
Summary: //A space opera in five acts, with considerably less singing and more uses of the word fuck than your usual opera//Captain Do Kyungsoo's crew is not perhaps the best crew, nor the most organized or disciplined, nor really anywhere near even slightly respectful, but they get the job done... Most days. And he does get them to listen to him.. every now and then.Perhaps they're not the crew he'd choose to get him out of trouble when they find a man floating in space, still alive, but... by Yoda, they'll have to do.ACT I : The NebulaACT II : The Black Lagoon (ongoing)





	1. Stranger in space

*

 

 

As Kyungsoo stared into the swirling vortexes of smoke above his head, he wondered vaguely when and how it had come to this. He could have just said no. He could have told Minseok, no, you can't bring that foul X'rmantian pipe on board and no, you absolutely cannot smoke it while we're cruising through space. He was the captain. He could have said no, we are not democrately choosing the next mission, I don't care what you guys think. They wouldn't have been stuck in a fucking Nebula with the ship full of smoke and the air purifiers on the point of breaking if he'd had the balls to say it. The trouble was that he could never really say no to Minseok because he was one of the best ship mechanics in the system and Kyungsoo had no idea why he had accepted his offer to come work on the FTL Tempo ("You guys have good taste in music" had been the drawling reply before Minseok had disappeared to explore the engine rooms with Jongdae, which was nowhere near convincing). So now Kyungsoo felt like he couldn't really deny him anything or Minseok would leave and he'd have to start over again finding a good mechanic in the absolute swarm of shit ones that invaded every space port in the quadrant.

He probably also should have said no when, after days of being stuck in the Nebula, Baekhyun had turned from his bunk in their tiny shared room and suggested an arrangement.

 

"It's just business. You scratch my back and then I scratch yours !" He'd said cheerfully.

 

But it was so much more than scratching backs, thought Kyungsoo as he watched Baekhyun suck him off, seeming much more into it than he himself felt. Fuck, he did look pretty like this, the captain thought, reaching out to run his fingers through Baekhyun's soft red hair. The pilot stopped and looked up with a grin.

 

"You think I'm pretty ?"

 

Fuck. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. Fortunately Baekhyun didn't seem too interested in a conversation and he went back to business. It did feel great, but it was still weird for Kyungsoo. He'd always thought of himself as a romantic type, the kind of guy who wouldn't even get turned on unless he was in love. But this was what nebulas did to you, he told himself, and then Baekhyun began taking him entirely down his throat and his thoughts dissolved into pleasure.

 

The console started beeping as Baekhyun pulled himself off Kyungsoo, who sighed, the guilt returning quickly to settle in his gut. He was the fucking captain. He shouldn't be doing this.

 

"Are you sure you don't want me to - ?" He asked quietly.

 

Baekhyun wiped his mouth and gave him a wink. "This is my favourite bit." He cast a look at the screen before adding, "Besides, duty calls !"

 

Kyungsoo buckled himself up and turned his attention to the distress signal. They'd been navigating the nebula for several days and found no sign of life, despite Minseok's friend's contact's tip-off that a sizable chunk of money would be hiding in the clouds of gas and rocks.

So far, all they had gained was a couple scratches on the ship's fresh coat of paint and an uncomfortable intimacy with each other. It was rare that they ever spent more than three days together on the ship, as they usually kept close to spaceports and scavenged only easy targets. But, as the mechanic had put it "Easy targets yield little gain. We need to hit something big."

 

And Kyungsoo felt the wisdom of his words, although he hated to risk the Tempo's hull on what had felt a lot like a fool's errand.

As he watched the distress call light up his screen, he felt for the first time in days as though perhaps this might be have been a good idea after all. And hopefully Baekhyun would never want to mention what had happened between them ever again once they returned to civilization.

 

"Minseok," said Kyungsoo, pressing down on the intercom button of his captain's chair. "How are the machines holding up ?"

 

"Fine," came the tinny voice of their expert mechanic. "The Funkmobile can go forth and rescue whatever idiot got themselves lost in this dumb nebula."

 

"It was your idea," the captain pointed out, turning to Baekhyun, who had regained his pilot's seat. "Get us to that distress call, then."

 

"What ?"

 

"What do you mean, what ?"

 

"I didn't understand your order sir," the pilot said with a wide grin.

 

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. "Fine... Punch it, then."

 

"PUNCHING IT !" Yelled Baekhyun, hitting the button that released the parking brake. The ship gave an immense shudder and then, ever so slowly, began to pick up speed.

 

"A bit anticlimactic, don't you think ?"

 

But Baekhyun's grin didn't drop. "Well, we've already had one climax - who needs another ?"

 

"What's this about a climax ?" Came Jongdae's voice from behind as Kyungsoo blushed furiously. Infernal pilot !

 

"Focus on your job," he replied, waving him to the communicator console. Jongdae took his seat, eyebrows raised about as dramatically as his hair. Man, articifial gravity tech really had some holes in it. There was just no way to keep one's hair even remotely okay-looking on a space ship. Part of the reason why he wore goggles in the first place, hiked up onto his forehead in what he felt was a nonchalant way, and what Baekhyun described as ridiculous. Maybe Kyungsoo did have a bit of a soft spot for him. Any other captain would have kicked him off a long time ago. He was technically a good pilot, but occasionally he'd sacrifice good sense to panache and get them all in a mess.

 

"We're nearing the coordinates but I'm not picking up any ship on the scanners, captain," called Jongdae, fiddling about with the dials.

 

Baekhyun navigated them past a dense cloud of space-dust, lit from within by an ominous glow. A ring of fog extended past, blocking their view.

 

"I don't like this," he mumbled. He slowed the ship's speed slightly, as visibility was decreasing by the second. "We'll be flying blind soon, captain."

 

Kyungsoo frowned. "Jongdae, scanners ?"

 

"No obstacles on the radar."

 

"Baekhyun, switch to autopilot."

 

In total agreement with his general attitude, the pilot ignored the order. "I can do this."

 

"You get one more scratch on my ship -"

 

"I fixed the navigation system myself, nothing is gonna hit us after last time. And if it does, I'll give you another blowjob."

 

From the console, Jongdae cursed loudly. "I fucking knew it ! You animals -"

 

"Baekhyun !" Barked Kyungsoo, "Can you not ? Just focus on getting us through this -"

 

"I gotta tell Minseok," Jongdae's voice had turned rather snide. "He owes me money."

 

"And you," Kyungsoo turned to him, "quit it ! Things get weird in space, let's be adults about it -"

 

"Guys !" interrupted Baekhyun. "Guys, look at this."

 

The ship was emerging from the cloud's periphery into an open expanse of space. Stars were visible faraway, shining coldly, lacking their usual twinkle. To each side, purple streaks of cloudy nebula extended, vanishing into gradual nothingness. It felt like a reprieve to the shipmates, to see something other than the nebula, but their attention was soon drawn to the wreckage floating around them.

Baekhyun killed the engine to better navigate the field of destruction.

 

"Yikes," he said quietly.

 

"I think we're too late," added Kyungsoo.

 

They floated through the debris, Baekhyun skilfully avoiding the bigger pieces of trash. "Do you think we can salvage anything ?"

 

"Certainly no big pile of money. These guys got pulverized," the captain replied in a hushed voice. "Fly toward that bigger hunk," he pointed to what seemed like the left wing of a Sevran warship.

 

Baekhyun was steering them in that direction when Jongdae spoke again from his console. He was frowning, fiddling with a set of dials all the way to the left of his station. A strange sign was blinking in the middle of his monitor.

 

"Guys, I'm picking something up - but it's not possible -"

 

"What is it ?"

 

He paused for a second, still fiddling. "There's a survivor."

 

"How is that possible ?"

 

"I don't know but I'm picking up vital signs from a humanoid form - behind that wing thing."

 

Baekhyun shook his head. "Your scanners are giving you a false positive. No way anyone survived."

 

All of a sudden, Kyungsoo rose from his seat, nearing the windshield. "Do you think whoever did this is still around ?"

 

"What are you saying ?" Baekhyun's eyebrows furled. "It's a trap ?"

 

"I don't know - be careful. Jongdae, check the ship scanners."

 

But they were alone, and Jongdae's biological scanners hadn't been lying. Just as they passed the lone wing, a body appeared to their right, floating in the void of space.

 

"Is that the one ?"

 

"Yes ! I'm getting a heartbeat, very faint !" Jongdae jumped up, throwing his headset down. "We have to bring him on board !"

 

He and Kyungsoo rushed to the airlock and pulled on their spacesuits while Baekhyun turned the ship, getting them as close as possible to the body. Their spacewalk was quick, thanks to his piloting skills, and soon came the telltale hiss of the airlock filling itself with oxygen. Baekhyun was waiting outside, a medipack in hand, as Kyungsoo began checking the body's vital signs in person.

 

"Not breathing !" He yelled, at which point Minseok, who had been brought out of his domain by curiosity, threw himself down to perform CPR on the unmoving body.

They waited with baited breath through the rounds of mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions, until the body started coughing and Kyungsoo subconsciously switched to referring to "it" as "the man".

 

"The man" in question didn't wake up, but his breath was back and so was his heartbeat, so they moved him carefully to the med bay before taking a collective step back and staring at their catch.

 

He was golden. His skin shone slightly as though it had been dipped in glitter, although no glitter was actually visible. His hair, a soft warm brown, had the same hint of a golden glow about it, and it fell delicately on his smooth forehead. There was something touching about his eyebrows, thought Kyungsoo - the slightest furrow that suggested a sad backstory. His face curved down to a softly pointed chin and even at this angle, his jawline seemed sharp enough to cut through the ship's hull. The whole pleasing effect was set off by his full lips, which drew Kyungsoo's gaze so hypnotically that Jongdae started to snigger.

 

"Okay captain, shall we leave you and the mystery hot guy together ?" He quipped, causing Kyungsoo to turn and punch his shoulder.

 

"Shut up. Get back to your post. Scan the files to see if we have anything to identify him."

 

"We have no access to the Galactinet though," he replied, waving vaguely around. "We're in a nebula."

 

"We might have some info in the ship's hard drive. I'll send you a sample of his DNA."

 

Jongdae left with a huff, followed by Minseok. Only Baekhyun remained, soon turning to Kyungsoo.

 

"Should we sell him ?" He asked bluntly.

 

"What ?! Of course not," the captain answered indignantly. "We're not slavers. Go check the debris to see if there's anything valuable to be salvaged."

 

"Alright, but if there isn't we'll need to find some way to make money off this trip." He paused at the door before adding enthusiastically, "Maybe there's a bounty on his head !"

 

To which Kyungsoo only answered, "Get out !"

 

 

*


	2. Golden Man

*

 

 

Once he was alone with the rescued man, he gave himself the luxury of staring. Here was without a doubt the handsomest humanoid he had ever met. There was something surreal about the sheer beauty of his face, and Kyungsoo couldn't tear his eyes off him. After a few minutes of indulging himself, he stepped closer to check the stranger's pockets for some form of identification.

What had happened to him ? And why had his ship been blown to bits in such a thorough manner ? Perhaps this was a dangerous individual, but he didn't seem very menacing at the moment.

As Kyungsoo patted down on his pockets, he noticed the man's temperature was significantly lower than was probably healthy. It made sense ; after all who knew how long he had spent floating around in space ?

 

This thought gave him pause. How _had_ he survived ? It was impossible to survive the void of space for more than mere seconds, yet they hadn't witnessed the destruction of the ship, so he must have been floating around for several long minutes.

 

A deep shudder ran through the body, pulling Kyungsoo back to more pressing concerns. He got to work, promptly stripping the man of his clothing before manoeuvring him into the Regeneration Pod. With a squelching sound, the healing gel accepted the body and the light at the top of the tank began blinking.

 

Now that the man was stark naked in front of him, Kyungsoo felt much more guilty about staring, so he set about examining the clothes for any information, carefully avoiding any direct looks at the tank. His cargo pants had four pockets, in which he found a necklace, a non-descript silver metal cylinder and a square piece of paper with weird squiggles on them. Kyungsoo vaguely cursed at himself for not taking xeno-alphabets as an elective when he was in the Academy. He felt like he'd seen them before.

 

"Holy shit," came Baekhyun's voice from behind him. "Look at those fucking abs."

 

"Report ?" Kyungsoo inquired, focusing on the piece of paper.

 

"We're siphoning their fuel at the moment, it seems like that's the only real valuable gain here. We also found a crate that's full of something, but we can't open it."

 

"Did you scan it ?"

 

"Yeah, it's resisted everything Jongdae's thrown at it so far. We haven't found any other intact objects yet." The pilot resumed his careful examination of the regenerating body before him. "Did you find anything on him ?"

 

"A weird necklace," answered Kyungsoo, holding up a golden half-moon pendant. "No ID whatsoever, though."

 

"What about this ?" Baekhyun's voice was now slightly muffled, coming from behind the tank where he was crouching, staring at something on the stranger's backside.

 

"For fuck's sake, Baek -" but Kyungsoo stopped berating him when he beheld the enormous tattoo covering the man's entire back.

 

It was a complicated structure of triangles and spirals interweaving with each other, arranged around a strange lunar cycle that ran up his spine, depicting the waxing and waning of two different yet interdependent moons. The spaces devoid of moon or triangle were filled instead with elements of a nebula that morphed into the foliage of a gigantic tree, running along his shoulders and up his nape, losing itself in his hairline. The whole tattoo was done in gold ink only slightly darker than the man's skin tone, making it in places almost invisible.

 

"Fucking hell," whispered Kyungsoo.

 

"You can say that again."

 

"This is someone important, right ? I feel like you'd have to be someone important to get a golden tattoo."

 

"Yeah," replied Baekhyun solemnly. "That is some serious bling."

 

Just then, the ship jolted, throwing them both on the ground. There was a loud booming noise and the distant sound of swearing.

 

"What the fuck happened now," cursed Kyungsoo, pushing himself up and running back to the cockpit. "What in the actual fuck, Kim Jongdae," he yelled as entered.

 

"I don't know !" Was the panicked answer. "I think it's that cloud," he pointed to a nearby cloud of what appeared to be pure plasma, crackling ominously. "There was a flash and now our navigation system is down !"

 

"Nav is down ?!" Repeated Baekhyun.

 

"We're blind - completely blind." Jongdae fiddled frantically with his scanners, before turning to look at them. "We've lost all coordinates."

 

"Holy fuck," was the pilot's only reply.

 

Kyungsoo steeled himself. This was bad news. In the vast emptiness of space, the navigation system was the only thing telling them where they were. And if was irreparable, they would find themselves lost in space until their reserves ran out and then they'd simply be adrift, hoping beyond hope that some other idiot would wander into the Nebula and save them. But as the captain his duty was to make decisions. They couldn't sit here forever, and they still had a full tank of fuel plus extra, thanks to having siphoned off the wreck.

 

"Jongdae, if all your scanners are down, go and help Minseok fix them. We need to get away from here, fast. This might not be random."

 

Jongdae nodded and rushed off to the engine room.

 

"Baekhyun," Kyungsoo turned to him. "Are we done checking the debris ?"

 

The pilot's usual snark seemed quite dampened. He gave a shaky nod, eyes wide and worried. Kyungsoo remembered vaguely that something similar had happened to him a while back, before he joined the Tempo. And the last time it had had happened on the Tempo, they were within eyesight of a space station, overall a relatively calm experience.

There was another loud noise and they both jumped. Plasma clouds were a notoriously dangerous space foe, but if this was an attack...

 

"Okay, good," said Kyungsoo, completely ignoring the feeling of metaphorically shitting one's pants currently wafting over him, "This ship is in your hands now. Your eyes are our only scanners. You get us out of here, slowly but surely, you hear me ?"

 

"But -"

 

"Shut up. Listen to me. You're a great pilot. If you swallow your cockiness for a minute we can make it out of here. You steer us away from this wreck and start getting us out." He set a comforting hand on Baekhyun's shoulder. "I have faith in you."

 

The pilot gulped visibly, before drawing himself up to his full height and nodding again, more forcefully. "Aye aye, captain."

 

The unconscious stranger was completely forgotten as they both took their seats and slowly started to steer the ship away. They made for a point opposite of the plasma cloud, intent on preserving their remaining and vital systems. If a new flash caused their oxygen to go down, they'd soon asphyxiate and the FTL Tempo would become a coffin, drifting endlessly through space.

They had come across one such ship once, where the crew had obviously died horrible deaths, trapped in the airless vacuum of space. It would, as Baekhyun had put it, suck major balls to go that way.

They should have bought a few oxygen masks before setting out into the nebula. That would have been smart, Kyungsoo rebuked himself silently.

 

With both pairs of eyes carefully strained, they made it a safe distance away. The plasma cloud was receding behind them. They could still see it in the rear-view mirror, but the crackling had died down somewhat. They might survive. And if they did, catch him going into any other nebula.

 

"Careful of that asteroid thingy -" Kyungsoo pointed at vague shape and Baekhyun swerved.

 

This went on for some uneventful hours, until Baekhyun seemed to be gaining his confidence back, and after a little bit he waved his captain away.

 

"I'm fine, Kyungsoo. You go check on our mystery hot guy."

 

"You sure ?"

 

"I got this." There was certainty but no arrogance in the pilot's voice. Kyungsoo headed for the med bay, feeling secure that his ship was in good hands.

 

To his surprise, when he entered the small white room, the stranger was out of the Regen Pod and in the midst of dressing himself.

 

"Oh -" Kyungsoo's words were lost when the man turned to him, shirt wide open revealing the impressive set of abs that he had refused to examine before. For some reason it was much harder to refrain now that the man was conscious.

Fortunately for the captain, the stranger's eyes were even more startlingly beautiful when open. They were a pale blue, and the corners crinkled up when he smiled, a shy half-smile that punched Kyungsoo in the gut, leaving him completely breathless.

 

"Hello," he said in a pleasant voice. "You must be this ship's captain ?"

 

"Yes - yes, that's right. I'm Kyungsoo, and you're aboard the FTL Tempo."

 

"Oh, very good. My name is Jongin." He came forward, a hand extended to shake Kyungsoo's, who took it gingerly. The grip was strong and just as warm as the rest of the stranger - _Jongin_.

 

"What happened to your ship ?"

 

"I have no idea," replied the stranger - _Jongin_ -, pulling a grey hoody on over his now buttoned shirt. "I don't remember. One minute we were fine, making our way through the nebula, the next there was a loud noise, and then I woke up in your health tank."

 

A loud growl filled the room and Jongin put an apologetic hand on his stomach. "Do you have anything to eat ? I'm starving."

 

 

*


	3. Secrets

*

 

 

Kyungsoo brought him to the ship's tiny mess hall and handed him a pack of rations. He watched him eat ravenously, trying to find the right way to phrase his next question.

 

"So what were you guys doing in the nebula ?" Asked Jongin all of a sudden.

 

"Oh - we got a tip off. There was supposed to be a major hit -"

 

Jongin's unfairly perfect eyebrows rose. "So you're pirates ?"

 

"No - not really. More like mercenaries, I guess." The eyebrows now furrowed, which was definitely not what Kyungsoo wanted.

 

"So you're working for someone ?"

 

"No, not at the moment."

 

"So.." Began Jongin with now the slightest hint of a smile, "You're mercenaries working for yourselves ?"

 

"Yeah, pretty much." As the realisation hit Kyungsoo he raised a finger, interrupting the stranger, "And I realize that sounds a lot like piracy but -"

 

"I'm not one to judge," said Jongin with a grin. Kyungsoo felt a little better.

 

"I'm always picky about what jobs we take, though. Which is why we fell back on scavenging - haven't been making enough.." he trailed off lamely, feeling as though this justification did nothing to help.

 

But after a short beat of silence, Jongin's face broke into a dazzling smile. "So, pirates with a moral compass ? That sounds hard."

 

"What about you ? What were you doing in the Nebula ?"

 

"Oh, just passing through," he replied airily. "Diplomatic mission, of sorts."

 

Kyungsoo's main concern rushed back to him. "And how were you able to survive space without a suit ?"

 

"What ?" The eyebrows furrowed again, this time in confusion.

 

"We found you floating in space, no helmet or protection of any kind."

 

"That's not possible," Jongin frowned further. "Hey, by the way did you happen to find a necklace on me ? It wasn't in my pile of clothing."

 

Kyungsoo was on the verge of reaching into his pocket and returning the piece of jewellery, but something stilled his hand, the vague feeling that he needed to examine it some more. After a beat of silence, he shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. The rest of your stuff is back in the med bay, though."

 

Jongin made a sad face and returned to his meal, letting an awkward silence settle over them. Just as Kyungsoo thought that he could bear it no longer, Jongdae bounced in, stopping short when he saw Jongin's eyes turn to him.

 

"Holy shit," he whispered.

 

Jongin rose and bowed. "Hello, I'm Jongin."

 

Jongdae shook his hand without a word. He seemed spellbound by the man's pure beauty.

 

"I'm Jongdae," he said breathlessly, leaving Kyungsoo to wonder if he had had the same dumb air on his face when he'd introduced himself.

 

Minseok, on the other hand, seemed completely unaffected as he greeted the stranger. "I'm Minseok", he said, giving him a languid shake of the hand.

To be fair, he himself was also unreasonably gorgeous, although in a much darker way, reflected Kyungsoo. Watching them interact was an odd experience : where Jongin was light and pure, Minseok was dark and rugged, covered in stains from his work with the machines. Jongin gave off an impression of slender strength, where Minseok's muscles were thick and obvious. Both carried themselves with power and confidence, but Jongin was soft and sweet, whereas Minseok seemed almost dangerous.

 

Baekhyun entered just as they were shaking hands, and he seemed to have the exact same thoughts as Kyungsoo because he stood dumbfounded for a second.

 

"Oh hello," Jongin then smiled at him.

 

"Wow," replied Baekhyun. "You're even hotter when you're conscious."

 

To everyone's surprise, this caused the gorgeous man to blush. "Oh no," he said quickly, "That's nonsense. You're all such a good-looking crew," he added delicately.

 

_Have I entered the twilight zone ?_ Kyungsoo wondered vaguely, before a sudden realization came crashing into him.

 

"Baekhyun, who's flying the ship ?" His voice rose dangerously.

 

"Relax captain," answered Minseok. "Scanners are back up, we have the autopilot going."

 

"Yeah, we'll be out of this nebula by tomorrow," Baekhyun smiled. "So we can all finally relax with uh -"

 

"Jongin," the stranger supplied helpfully.

 

"We can all relax with Jongin," the pilot grinned at Kyungsoo.

 

"Get back to the cockpit. We've lost nav once, it might happen again."

 

With a grumble, the pilot headed back to his domain, where he proceeded to turn his music on to the highest level in sign of protest.

 

Jongin cocked his ear and nodded. "Electric Light Orchestra," he grinned. "Good choice."

 

"I'm going back to the engine room, I don't like being away," declared Minseok with a polite nod at Jongin and Kyungsoo.

 

"Coming," called Jongdae to his retreating back. "That is, unless you need me, captain ?"

 

"Go ahead," Kyungsoo waved him off.

 

"Is this your whole crew ?" Inquired Jongin quietly.

 

"Yes, we're not a very big ship. I'd like to find an expert fighter, but so far no luck."

 

"You'd be easily outnumbered."

 

"The Tempo has some surprises in her," Kyungsoo patted the nearest wall fondly. "And I would trust each one of these idiots with my life. They can be dicks but they're not complete assholes."

 

That seemed to satisfy Jongin, who stopped enquiring. Instead, he started examining the mess hall, apparently curious about the personal belongings with which they'd decorated their living quarters.

 

"Can I ask you something ?" Kyungsoo spoke hesitantly after a minute of watching Jongin investigating a plush octobear.

 

"Of course !"

 

"What's up with your back tattoo ?"

 

"Oh, I can't tell you that, I'm sorry." He gave Kyungsoo an apologetic look. "It's specific to my people's initiation rites."

 

"And what people is that ?"

 

"Carinean, from the Aspidiscus system. I'm not surprised you haven't heard about us," he continued with a smile when he noticed Kyungsoo's blank face. "We rarely travel. I'm one of the only ones to have ever left the planet."

 

Kyungsoo nodded, unsure how to answer. It felt impolite to pry, and yet there was so much he wanted to know about the stranger. Mostly he wished he'd taken more electives at the Academy. He was certain there'd been something about Aspidiscus. Or maybe the xeno-ethnology professor had mentioned Carineans ? Why hadn't he paid attention...

 

"What about you ?" Jongin asked, sitting on the tiny couch.

 

"Our main port is on Cassiopeia Station, although we haven't been back in a while -"

 

"No," He shook his head, and it looked to the captain like the simple act had strewn specks of gold about the room. "I mean you. Where are you from ? How did you get here ?"

 

For some reason, Kyungsoo felt compelled to tell him his entire life's story, from the humble beginnings on a tiny nameless planet orbiting Betelgeuse, to the Academy and dropping out, to the life of para-illegal activities that had chosen him. He wondered a few times how Jongin could remain interested in the mundane misery of certain parts, but the Carinean kept asking thoughtful questions as though nothing was more captivating to him than learning more about Kyungsoo.

Talking to him was amazingly easy. He seemed genuinely interested, gasping at the appropriate moments, and even trembling at the recounting of the pursuit on Savedra.

 

"How did you make it out of there ?!" He yelped, satisfying Kyungsoo's inner storyteller immensely.

 

"I had to let part of the cargo off. It was that or jettison a crew member, and that wasn't happening." He paused, before continuing with a frown, "Of course it turned out that Greedo actually _had_ betrayed us, and he ended up trying to blow us up, when the plot to get our ship failed."

 

"What happened to him ?"

 

"He messed up while trying to rewire our self-destruct system. Baekhyun found him with half his hair fried off. He was babbling about delivering us to Sooman's Cartel so we had basically no choice. We gave him to the authorities on his home world. There was a big bounty on his head, which we're still living on right now, although there isn't much left." Kyungsoo sighed. He had been good friends with Greedo, and although the plot against the FTL Tempo had failed, the betrayal still stung.

 

"You feel things deeply," remarked Jongin.

 

"What ?"

 

"I can tell your heart is still sore from having to do that." He reached forward and laid a soft hand on Kyungsoo's chest, right above his heart. The captain felt a blush rise to his cheeks and his heartbeat quicken, which he hoped Jongin wouldn't notice - although that was impossible, since his fucking hand was right there on his heart.

He jumped up, realizing that they'd been talking for hours.

 

"You - you must be tired. Let me find you a nook to sleep in," he said quickly.

 

Jongin followed him silently to the tiny space that usually served as storage and on rare occasions, was the ship's guest room. Kyungsoo cleared the various rations off the bunk and then reached up into one of the hidden closets for a couple thermal blankets and a pillow. Jongin watched him intently as he moved around to make him a bed, chewing his lip the whole time. He only spoke when Kyungsoo was finished and headed for the door.

 

"Thank you," he said, so low that the captain almost missed it.

 

"Oh, no problem."

 

"May I ask you a question ?"

 

The serious air in Jongin's eyes surprised Kyungsoo. "Of course, anything."

 

"Why save me ?"

 

This was fairly unexpected, but the answer was obvious to Kyungsoo.

 

"Because it was the right thing to do."

 

To his continued surprise, a pained expression crossed the stranger's features.

 

"Once we read vital signs we couldn't just leave you there," continued Kyungsoo. "You'd have done the same, I'm sure."

 

"I don't.. I'm not.. I might not have."

 

There was another, longer silence. Kyungsoo was just about to turn and leave when he felt a soft hand on his arm. Jongin had reached out to him, and there was now a pleading air in his eyes.

 

"Kyungsoo -" he spoke with a hint of something akin to sadness in the back of his voice. "Will you sell me to the slavers ?"

 

"What ? No, of course not !"

 

"And.. If there's a bounty on my head.. Will you collect it ?"

 

Kyungsoo turned to face him fully and looked him straight in the eyes.

 

"I don't do business with slavers, or bounty hunters unless I have to. Besides, we didn't capture you, we rescued you. Tomorrow you'll tell us where you want to go and we'll get you as close as we can. Don't worry."

 

The strange, saddened expression washed out of Jongin's features, and he gave Kyungsoo a tiny smile. "Thank you," he said simply.

 

His hand left Kyungsoo's arm, where an odd warm tingle lingered, and the captain left the room.

 

 

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I'm honest I truly believe that any time Jongin sneezes he emits particles of gold because he is just 
> 
> that
> 
> precious


	4. Rivals and challenges

*

 

 

He slept deeply in his own quarters until Baekhyun entered and immediately climbed into bed with him.

 

"Again ?" Groaned Kyungsoo, barely awake, as Baekhyun's hands make quick work of removing his pants. "You're insatiable."

 

"Time passes weird in space," said Baekhyun, then paused. "Are you not okay with this ? I'll stop."

 

Kyungsoo pondered for only a second before nodding and Baekhyun got back to work eagerly. It seemed that Kyungsoo was already fairly aroused because he came very quickly, and that was probably the reason why Baekhyun accepted more readily Kyungsoo's offer to return the favour. So then Kyungsoo _had_ to wake up fully as he prepped his pilot and then railed him against the cabin's wall.

 

"Ah fuck, Kyungsoo," sighed Baekhyun afterward, collapsing onto the tiny bunk and cuddling up to his captain's side. "I know you don't want to talk about this but I gotta say, whatever it is, I'm enjoying it."

 

"Shut up and go to sleep."

 

They both awoke when Jongdae came barging into the captain's room, calling in a pressing tone.

 

"Captain ! Kyungsoo ! Get up, we're being followed ! Ah shit -"

 

"Followed ?" Kyungsoo repeated groggily, sitting up slowly. There was an annoying pilot wrapped around him that made if difficult to move. He hadn't slept this well in a long time, and it took him a moment to remember the day's events. "Followed ?"

 

"Yes ! Followed, you fuckers ! We need you on deck !"

 

"Who's following us ?" He mumbled as he disentangled himself from Baekhyun, waking him up in the process. They both pulled on some clothes and let Jongdae lead them to the cockpit.

 

"We don't know, they have a cloaking device that exceeds our scanners' capacities. I'm just picking up another ship's presence behind us, and it's been there for the last half hour."

 

Baekhyun shoved a can of energy juice in Kyungsoo's hands, chugging his own as if his life depended on it.

 

"I've changed our course several times and they change theirs accordingly. It's creepy," continued Jongdae.

 

The beverage brought the captain fully up to speed, just as Jongin entered the cockpit and took the remaining empty seat.

 

"We're still in the nebula, right ?" asked Kyungsoo.

 

"Yeah, on the outer fringes."

 

"Can we lose them in the clouds ?"

 

"I don't know," Baekhyun answered, settling into his pilot seat, flipping a couple switches. "If their cloaking device is this good, their engines are probably better than ours. I don't even wanna think about their scanners. That's like the first thing anyone upgrades," he added with a side-long at Kyungsoo who had, rather famously, never bothered to upgrade the Tempo's scanners. 

 

Kyungsoo ignored him and pressed the intercom button. "Minseok, how is everything running down there ?"

 

"Everything's perfect, captain. Are you gonna try to outrun these assholes ?"

 

"I think that's our best bet." Kyungsoo pointed to the left corner of the windshield, where a dense cloud of gas was visible, the final whisps of the Nebula. "Baekhyun, can you get us through that ?"

 

"Scanners pick up no major obstacle in that direction," called Jongdae from his console.

 

"Punch it, then !"

 

Just as Baekhyun was turning the ship in the correct direction, a siren-like noise sounded from Jongdae's station.

 

"We're being hailed !" He announced.

 

"Put them through," ordered Kyungsoo.

 

Jongdae fiddled about with his dials some more, and all of a sudden the windshield grew opaque, allowing a face to appear.

 

"Sehun," cursed Kyungsoo under his breath when he saw the straight, severe eyebrows and pointed ears of his nemesis. He barely noticed Jongin's speedy exit from the cockpit, too annoyed by Oh Sehun's sudden appearance to focus.

 

"Captain Do," came his rival's snide voice.

 

"Captain Oh," he replied, teeth ground together. "What do you want ? And why are you following us ?"

 

"You're carrying something precious on your rickety old ship."

 

"The Tempo is not rickety - or old."

 

"Oh please," smirked Sehun from the screen. "Do you still call it the Funkmobile ? What a ridiculous name for a spaceship."

 

"Because you think Boomerang is a better name ? Your ship isn't even shaped like a boomerang, you idiot."

 

"Enough pleasantries, captain Do. I want your cargo."

 

Kyungsoo gaped at the nerve. "What do you mean, you want my cargo ?"

 

"I want it, so you're going to give it to me."

 

"Listen here, you little - listen here," Kyungsoo attempted to collect himself. "For one thing we aren't carrying any cargo, and for another what makes you think I'd give you anything after the trick you pulled on Sakaar ?"

 

At this, another face appeared next to Sehun on the large screen, his grin reaching from ear to ear as he exclaimed, "Fun times !" Kyungsoo cursed again, but this time Baekhyun broke into a grin too and started waving.

 

"Hey Chanyeol !" He called out, to which the newcomer smiled.

 

"Hey Baekhyun," he replied with a wave of his own. "What's new ?"

 

"Can you stop ?" Sehun and Kyungsoo spoke at the same time, with the same irritated tone. "We're supposed to be enemies," Kyungsoo continued, smacking Baekhyun's arm.

 

" _You're_ enemies. Chanyeol is my best bud."

 

"Hey !" Came from the scanner console, where Jongdae was looking wounded.

 

Baekhyun blew him a kiss, and Kyungsoo growled aloud. "Stop it ! This is serious business !"

 

Sehun seemed to have a similar reaction, as he pushed Chanyeol out of the screen and resumed his menacing expression.

 

"Precisely. And you do have cargo. I know where you're coming from, you liar. Must be the biggest catch you've ever got your tiny hands on," he sneered.

 

They had no idea what was in it but he'd be damned if he gave him that mysterious crate, thought Kyungsoo as he lied through his teeth. "There was nothing at the wreck. We didn't salvage anything but fuel."

 

"What about this ?" Sehun's face disappeared, replaced by what looked very much like a mug shot of Jongin.

 

"Jongin ?" Whispered Kyungsoo, entirely caught off his guard.

 

"You mean you didn't recognize the infamous pirate Kai ? There's a hundred billion units on his head. Largest bounty in the galaxy."

 

Sehun reappeared on screen, this time with a smirk. "How dense can you get, captain Do ? You manage to get a famous criminal on board and you're not even able to identify him. Best to hand him over, really."

 

But Kyungsoo had made his decision already. "Eat space slugs, Oh Sehun !" he yelled before switching the communication off and ordering Baekhyun, once again, to punch it.

 

The engines having warmed up during the conversation, the effect was much more satisfying as the ship immediately blasted off at top speed towards the cloud of gas and dust.

 

"Minseok !" Kyungsoo barked into the intercom. "How's the FTL drive ?"

 

"We're at full capacity, captain."

 

"Get ready to make a jump !"

 

Baekhyun whirled to look at him. "In a nebula ? It's not -"

 

"Don't make me ask nicely."

 

Baekhyun turned back to his station and focused on getting them through the nebula, although he didn't look very happy about it.

 

"Jongdae, are they still following ?"

 

"No ! I'll bet he doesn't want to scratch that dumb ship of his."

 

"Okay, perfect. Baekhyun, enter these coordinates."

 

"What ?! That's the Black Lagoon, captain !"

 

"You heard me. Enter them." Kyungsoo's voice was steely and resolved.

 

"But.. they have a bounty on.."

 

"Baekhyun, do what I'm telling you to do."

 

Baekhyun rose in protest. "As soon as they see this ship, we'll be toast ! We can't, Kyungsoo !"

 

"Byun Baekhyun, enter those coordinates or I'll do it myself !"

 

"You're killing us all," the pilot's voice cracked. "Just give him the criminal !"

 

"I'm not giving Jongin to anyone," Kyungsoo barked. "You sit your ass in that chair and enter the coordinates I gave you."

 

Jongdae interrupted just as Baekhyun was opening his mouth to retort, "Baek, for once in your life trust your captain."

 

Baekhyun stood for a second longer, staring at them both. Then, for the first time in his life, he sat back down and silently began entering the coordinates, under Kyungsoo's watchful eye.

 

"Get ready to jump," he called, pressing the ship-wide intercom button, "Everyone strap down, wherever you are."

 

After a beat of silence, Minseok voice crackled out of the speaker with "Aye-aye captain !"

It seemed as though Jongin was not going to reply and Kyungsoo was left to simply hope for the best, but the next moment his warm voice came to them too : "In the mess hall, strapped down."

 

The captain let out an audible sigh of relief before turning to his pilot and calling, "Baekhyun, now !"

 

And with a sudden deafening rush of noise, the ship jumped to light speed.

 

 

* 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little did you know, space is actually just as much of primary school yard as every where else.
> 
>  
> 
> This marks the end of ACT I : The Nebula. 
> 
> Gravity will return next week with ACT II : The Black Lagoon.


	5. A Little More Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ACT II : THE BLACK LAGOON

*

 

 

"I'm sorry for doubting you, Kyungsoo," Baekhyun's sheepish voice came from behind him.

 

The captain of the FTL Tempo was staring off into the double sunset of Enubirr, the smallest island in the space-archipelago commonly known as the Black Lagoon. It was a broken world, the sizable remains of a planet that had been blown to bits centuries ago. Large chunks of land floated about in the mesosphere of the now dead planet, bathed in a constantly shifting glow of colors. He sighed deeply.

 

"It's okay, Baek." He cast a sorrowful look at his ship. "I'm sorry for putting us through this."

 

The Funkmobile was somewhat worse for wear after jumping to lightspeed out of a nebula. After all, there was a reason no one ever did it. The entire hull was covered in scratches caused by the tiny particles of space dust that made up the nebula. The windshield was so damaged that it would have to be changed before they took off to anywhere. The side-view mirrors were completely gone and so was the archaic radio antenna. So much for listening to Radio Rock. It was kind of a miracle it had survived so far, really.

 

"I should have realized you wouldn't bring us directly to Nauru."

 

"You didn't know there's a back way in." Kyungsoo turned to his pilot and patted him on the shoulder. "It's fine, seriously."

 

Baekhyun's voice lowered, "Are we sure he's worth it ?"

 

Kyungsoo followed his gaze to the edge of a pool, into which Jongin was staring intensely. "I don't know," he replied quietly. "And honestly, I don't think I care."

 

At that moment, Jongin rose and gave them a blinding smile, waving something at them.

 

"Fascinating," he called as he came closer. "There's a species of larvae here that doesn't exist anywhere else. Look !" To Baekhyun's horror, he then thrust a handful of softly wriggling purple goo at each of them.

 

"What.. what does it do ?" Inquired Kyungsoo, fighting hard against the overwhelming disgust of the sensation.

 

"Nothing whatsoever ! But it's endemic to this place - perhaps even this island ! Isn't this brilliant ?"

 

"Wonderful," a very pale Baekhyun answered weakly. "I hope I'm not pregnant with space parasites."

 

Fortunately for Jongin, Jongdae and Xiumin were much more interested in the strange larvae. The three of them headed off across the island in search of them, while Baekhyun and Kyungsoo returned to the cockpit to discuss their next move.

 

"What are we going to do now ? We have no windshield, we can't leave."

 

"At least we're rid of Sehun", was the captain's terse answer. "He'll never think we'd come here."

 

"But we won't get help in Nauru, they hate us. We need a plan, Kyungsoo."

 

"I'm working on it." He grumbled, curling up on his chair.

 

"And even if we could leave, where would we go ? What are we going to do about the giant bounty on Jongin's head ?"

 

Kyungsoo sighed. "I told him we'd drop him off wherever he wanted to go, no questions asked."

 

"So ?" Baekhyun's eyebrows furled. "Where does he want to go ?"

 

"Well.. he did mention he was from the Aspidiscus system.."

 

"But does he want to go there ?"

 

"I doubt it.."

 

"Excuse me," came a pleasant voice from the door. The two whirled about only to find an entirely unknown person standing in their cockpit. Baekhyun jumped up, laser gun trained on the intruder, who quickly raised his empty hands.

 

"Sorry, sorry ! I knocked but I didn't get an answer -"

 

Kyungsoo rose and approached the stranger. He was about their size and definitely humanoid, although his eyes were almost unnaturally big. Everything about him seemed soft, not least his pink hair, which floated gently above him, moving around as though a soft breeze were blowing in the cockpit.

 

"I'm Luhan," smiled the stranger.

 

"I'm Kyungsoo, this is Baekhyun."

 

"It's very lovely to meet you," said Luhan politely, bowing to each in turn.

 

The captain and his pilot exchanged a glance, and Baekhyun lowered his weapon.

 

"What can we do for you, Luhan ?"

 

"Well, I'm very sorry to bother you, but I have to ask you to move your ship."

 

"Did we land on your property ?"

 

"Not exactly - in front of it, rather." He smiled apologetically. "My husband and I grow a very specific type of fruit that requires direct light from the sunsets to bloom."

 

Just as he said this, Jongin's voice came from right outside the cockpit. "The light of sunset ?"

 

He entered the small space, giving Luhan another one of his blinding smiles. "Your island has the most interesting flora and fauna I've ever seen."

 

Instead of the usual dumbfounded reaction Kyungsoo had come to expect of people meeting Jongin, Luhan returned the smile with one of his own, and they shook hands.

 

"What the fuck is happening," whispered Baekhyun in Kyungsoo's ear. "This is upsetting. How are they both so gorgeous."

 

Kyungsoo let himself remain spellbound by the sight of the two stunning beings for a few seconds before consciously gathering his wits about him. This was not the time to be mooning around like this.

 

"Baekhyun, see with Luhan if he can help us with our windshield. Jongin," calling the pirate's attention to himself, "Would you come with me ? I need to ask you a few questions."

 

"Of course, Kyungsoo," was the easy reply. "After you."

 

Although he had moved a step back to let the captain through, it was impossible for Kyungsoo to stop himself from brushing against him, sending electricity up his spine. He could only hope his blush wasn't too obvious and try to regain his focus as he walked back out into the fresh pink air of Enubirr.

He brought them a short distance from the ship, to the edge of one of the countless tidepools that made up the island's ecosystem, before turning back to face Jongin and running a nervous hand through his hair.

To his surprise, Jongin looked just as uneasy as he felt.

 

"Are you okay ?" He inquired suddenly.

 

"Yes," was the other's quick reply. "It's just.. Sehun told you, didn't he ?"

 

"He did."

 

Jongin gave him a shy look. "Did he mention.. about the bounty ?"

 

Kyungsoo hesitated for a second before giving a quick, cursory nod.

 

"Are you.. I know you need money.."

 

"We do need money," answered the captain carefully. An air of resignation passed over Jongin's face, but Kyungsoo continued. "I told you, though. I said I wouldn't try to collect any bounties that might be on your head. I meant that."

 

This seemed to surprise Jongin, who stayed silent for a moment, trying to process this declaration.

 

"I also meant it when said I'd bring you where you wanted to go." Kyungsoo frowned slightly. "If you're happy to be in the Black Lagoon you have no obligation to stay with us. You can leave whenever you want."

 

"You are -" he started, coming a step closer before stopping himself. "You are continually surprising, Do Kyungsoo."

 

"How so ?"

 

But Jongin didn't reply, and it was Kyungsoo's turn to freeze in surprise as Jongin closed the remaining distance between them, coming to stand mere inches away. He was taller, very obviously so when they were so close, and Kyungsoo had to bend his neck back for their eyes to meet. There was nothing menacing in them, but the captain felt himself straighten, as though facing an unspoken challenge.

 

"What will you do," Jongin spoke in a low, carefully controled voice, "if I tell you what I really want ?"

 

In spite of the churning in his stomach, he looked straight into Jongin's eyes. "I'll do whatever I can to help you get it."

 

"Really ?" he whispered back, leaning a fraction of an inch forward. He seemed to be glowing brighter than ever, taking up the whole of Kyungsoo's field of view.

 

The captain felt his control of the situation slip away, and he didn't seem to be able to care. Jongin's entire presence had been calling him to surrender ever since their first meeting - but the word "surrender" passing through his brain seemed to work as a jolt of electricity. He shook himself to clear the haze from his brain.

 

"Yes," he replied firmly. "Now stop beating around the bush and tell me what you want and what I can do to help."

 

A flash of surprised passed over Jongin's face and he stepped back.

 

"Perhaps I might ask you for a little time to think about it ?" He shrugged. "The truth is, I'm not certain where I want to go. I finished my mission -" He stopped himself.

 

Kyungsoo frowned. "Your mission ? Since when do famous space pirates have missions ?"

 

"There may be, a, uh.. divide. Between what the galaxy thinks I am and what I actually am. So to speak."

 

"Then what _are_ you ?"

 

"I can't tell you that," answered Jongin apologetically. "But I can tell you one thing : I don't think I was supposed to survive the nebula."

 

"The explosion ?"

 

The golden man nodded. "I think it was meant to get rid of me. Many people wish me dead."

 

Kyungsoo cast about in his memories for anything he might have heard about Kai, but it was rather vague. Truth be told, he'd never really paid attention. How would he ever come into contact with the most famous pirate in the galaxy ? Or not-pirate. Whatever. He and his crew were barely even small-time crooks. No matter what Jongin may be, he was definitely way out of their league. If he was being honest, Kyungsoo was even surprised to exist in the same dimension. Jongin seemed straight out of one of those holiday only dimensions reserved for the very rich and very beautiful. 

 

"Therefore," continued Jongin lightly, "I really have no place to be, and I can't go back to the people who employed me until I'm certain they didn't try to kill me."

 

"That seems wise."

 

"So perhaps I might stay with you for a time ? I can help. I'm a good fighter," he flashed Kyungsoo a dazzling smile.

 

And here it was. Kyungsoo could say no. He probably should say no. The most expensive bounty in the galaxy on his head, and he wanted to work on the FTL Tempo ? There was no way this wouldn't lead to more trouble.

 

"Of course you can stay with us," replied Kyungsoo.

 

 

*


	6. Hospitality

 

*

 

 

 

They returned to the ship where Baekhyun seemed to have succeeded in striking up a friendship with the stranger Luhan, thanks to bad jokes and a shared love of Terran music. The pilot was wheeling through his impressive collection of cassettes and Luhan leaned over his shoulder, examining every title.

 

"They really do have the best bass players, don't they ?"

 

Baekhyun nodded frantically. "I know ! It's like having honey poured into your ears."

 

"Ever heard of Jamiroquai ?" Luhan grinned.

 

"I don't think I have !"

 

"Okay well you guys are definitely coming to dinner with us tonight. I'll let Tao know." He turned as Kyungsoo entered the cockpit. "You guys have probably never tasted Kep-Mok Bloodtick stew, right ?"

 

"No," replied the captain, catching Baekhyun's suddenly alarmed expression. "It sounds delicious."

 

"That settles it, then. You guys aren't leaving Enubirr until you get some, and until you," he turned to Baekhyun, "listen to some Jamiroquai."

 

They followed him out of the space ship with varying degrees of apprehension, and off to a little house in the distance that was covered in crawling vines. Though the way seemed flat, it turned out the island's surface undulated constantly, creating a series of shallow dips and tiny hill-tops. It seemed that the FTL Tempo had landed on the only stretch of flat ground on the whole island. Many of the dips were partially filled with water and near one of these tide-pools, they came across Jongdae and Minseok.

 

Jongdae's golden hair was ruffled, moreso than usual, which was odd considering they weren't affected by the ship's artificial gravity anymore. Minseok, meanwhile, was shirtless and his skin glistened with sweat. He wore a very smug air that didn't fade when the crew approached.

 

"What happened to your shirt ?" Frowned the captain.

 

"We found a gorignak," he replied easily as though that explained anything, but Luhan nodded.

 

"Nasty pieces of work. I hope you locked your ship."

 

Kyungsoo paused, fingering the keys in his pocket. _Had_ he locked the ship ?

 

"Maybe I should go check -"

 

But Jongin interrupted him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Of course you locked the ship. It's fine."

 

His touch was warm as ever, but instead of the usual confusion and general feeling of needing to reboot one's brain that it usually procured, Kyungsoo felt a sort of confidence flow to his core and strengthen him. Of course he'd fucking locked the ship.

They went on, chatting easily, for what seemed like a very long time. The house never really grew closer, even though they were heading for it in a straight line. A faint pink mist floated around them, rising from the pools, as Luhan explained :

 

"Our scholars think that Enubirr was under water when the planet was still whole, and these swells are the result of the waves' movement. But the island has no salt mines, so it probably wasn't a - what do you call them," He waved vaguely around, "an ocean, and instead it must have a large body of unsalted water. That's why we can grow so many different things. Other islands like Fefon and Murilo make their fortune from their salt mines, but very little grows on them."

 

Kyungsoo lost track as he continued explaining and the house remained firmly a couple hundred feet away.

 

"I think it feels like we've been walking for hours because of the hills," muttered Jongin, guessing his thoughts and giving him another encouraging pat.

Luhan spoke at the same time. "Here we are !"

 

And there they were indeed. The little vine-covered house was suddenly right in front of them, and a delicate figure sat by the front door, his silver hair imbued with the same ethereal movement as Luhan's.

He rose to greet them with a bow, and Luhan rushed to his side.

 

"Don't, my love -" He started, but the man, having grasped his arm, ignored them and smiled at the crew.

 

"Hello, and welcome to our home. Luhan told me you were coming. I'm Tao, and I'm pleased to meet you."

 

There was an air of illness about his face, in the dark circles that shadowed his eyes and the transparency of his skin. Perhaps the most telling sign of his state was Luhan's expression.

 

"Sit, my love," he said softly, but Tao shook his head.

 

"We should go in, the food will be ready soon. And the record player is all set up for you," he smiled at Baekhyun. His eyebrows rose when he saw Jongin, but he made no comment and they followed him inside.

 

Though it appeared small from without, the house was full of spacious rooms arranged in a labyrinthine pattern.

 

Tao moved slowly and with the help of a cane, but he seemed determined to show them around and be a most pleasant host. He beamed at Baekhyun's delight with their Terran record collection, and engaged in a knowledgeable conversation about zeppelin engines with Minseok while _Cosmic Girl_ played in the background.

By the time they all sat down to eat, everyone had connected with him on some level, and each felt quite at ease. So at ease, in fact, that no smart ass remarks were made on the Kep-Mok bloodtick stew, and everyone managed the first spoonful without a grimace. As it proved delicious, no one held back and for a while the table was silent as they slurped it down.

When they had finished, Luhan went to get some tea ready and Tao looked around at them.

 

"So," he said, "Luhan tells me you need parts for your ship ?"

 

Kyungsoo vaguely wondered when exactly Luhan had told him this, as they had all been together ever since coming to the house. "Yes, I'm afraid we can't move the Tempo until we replace the front windshield and the rear-view mirrors."

 

Tao grinned. "Your ship's name is the Tempo ? I like that. I'll certainly do my best to help you." He turned to look at Baekhyun. "There's no joy in the universe quite as delicate as that of listening to a good song."

 

The pilot nodded solemnly.

 

"There is one, uh.. constraint," said Kyungsoo hesitantly, and Tao's big eyes turned back to him. "We can't be seen in Nauru."

 

"Why is that ?" Asked Luhan, entering with a huge pot of tea.

 

"We, uh.. we may have a. Ah, a bounty. On .. some of our heads."

 

"If you're thinking of the galactic bounty on Jongin, you'll find very few people here who will actually try to collect it," Said Tao easily, a small smile playing around his lips. They all stared at him.

 

Kyungsoo felt vaguely defeated. "You know about that, huh ?" He should have thought about that possibility. Hell, _Jongin_ should have thought of that possibility. But the Carinean seemed completely unruffled, and he returned Tao's half-smile with one of his own.

 

All of a sudden, Kyungsoo understood. He turned to Jongin. "You've been here before ?"

 

"Not on Enubirr," answered the golden man quickly.

 

"Jongin is something of a local hero in the Black Lagoon."

 

There was a loud crash. Luhan had dropped the pot of tea.

 

Kyungsoo sighed and face-palmed. "Of course he is."

 

"This is - ?" Luhan's voice sounded choked. Tao nodded.

 

"For a long time," He started, but a coughing fit came over him and Luhan took over, staring at Jongin the whole time.

 

"For a long time, the Black Lagoon was ruled by a very powerful cartel. Most of our people were employed in the salt mines," he rubbed his front forearm as he spoke, and Kyungsoo noticed for the first time faint scars around his wrists. "I say employed, but the reality is, we were enslaved. We would still be today if it weren't for one man. He's known here as Kai Whiwhi, which means Liberator. He destroyed the cartel's headquarters and slaughtered their leadership. I was in the mines that day, but we heard the explosion."

 

Jongin was looking faintly pink in the ears. "It was a long time ago."

 

"I was in Nauru when the cartel fell," said Tao, and Luhan gripped his shoulder hard. "I was scheduled to be executed, but he came first. I saw him. A golden man emerging from the rubble, wielding a light saber."

 

"Hold the fucking phone," yelped Baekhyun. "A light saber ?"

 

Jongin shrugged. "Sometimes you gotta go in with a big old sword. For panache, y'know."

 

"Holy fart-sucking Yoda," whispered Jongdae, and Kyungsoo couldn't help but relate. Only Minseok seemed unruffled, but to be fair, Kyungsoo wasn't even sure he was listening to the conversation. His eyes were half-closed and turned towards the window.

 

"So you just, you just go around liberating civilizations ?" Squeaked Baekhyun, "Is that your deal ?"

 

The golden man frowned. "It's more complicated than that."

 

Tao spoke. "I'm sorry, perhaps I shouldn't have blown your cover."

 

"No, no," replied Jongin. "It was a matter of time."

 

"So hang on," Kyungsoo started, "You mean to tell me you could have just walked us into Nauru, no questions asked ? Why didn't you say so ?"

 

"Not with the bounty on _your_ heads," replied Jongin with a shrug.

 

Tao's eyebrows rose a fraction. "He's right. Our people have no concept of owing. It's considered natural when you do something good, and to expect anything in return would be very rude. Jongin liberated us, and we'll be thankful to him for a long time, but no one here feels like they owe him anything." His big eyes turned back to Kyungsoo. "So with a bounty on your heads, you'll be captured and probably killed on sight, even if Jongin is with you."

 

"Well shit," was all the captain could reply. He stood and walked to the window. The air had grown purple and darkened somewhat. Only one sun remained in the sky, but it was low on the horizon, sinking behind the silhouette of the FTL Tempo. Long shadows ran across the swells and tiny blue fireflies buzzed about.

 

"Ultimately none of that matters," he spoke slowly as he turned back around to an expectant dinner table and a fresh pot of Origumo tea, "Unless you're willing to help us, we'll be stuck here. The only thing I can do right now is, humbly, to ask for your help."

 

Jongin's eyebrows shot up. Luhan and Tao shared a look.

 

"The way we see it, there are two problems here and solving one solves the other. You need parts, we need you out of our sunset. We have everything to gain by helping you."

 

"Okay," said Kyungsoo. "Then we need a plan. Jongin can't get a windshield and everything else on his own. He'll excite local attention, for one thing."

 

"I know," Baekhyun's voice rose, filled with mischief, "We need some disguises !"

 

 

 

*

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Call me Davey Jones cause I'm resurrecting dead ships like idgaf


	7. Plots and plans

 

*

 

 

 

Kyungsoo was not exactly delighted by Baekhyun's suggestion, but he had to admit it was more of a plan than he had managed to formulate. Minseok at least seemed to have been pulled out of his rêverie by the idea, as he leaned his muscular elbows on the table and fixed Kyungsoo with a calculating stare.

 

"What ?" The captain finally barked, interrupting Baekhyun's enthusiastic explanation of how to make fake moustaches out of coffee grounds.

 

The mechanic straightened. "What d'you mean, what ?"

 

"Why are you staring at me ?"

 

"Oh, sorry. I'm just interested. Didn't mean to stare." And with that, Minseok leaned back and easily threw his arm on the back of Jongdae's chair. "A heist sounds fun."

 

"Heist ?" Luhan looked alarmed.

 

"Is that not what we're doing ?"

 

Kyungsoo pondered. "I guess I figured it would be illegal enough to go somewhere that has a bounty on us and just try to buy stuff. I don't know if we really need to steal anything."

 

"So you're going to buy a new windshield ?" Minseok's eyebrows rose.

 

"That's the plan, yes."

 

"With what money ?"

 

Fuck, thought Kyungsoo.

 

"Fuck," said Baekhyun.

 

Silence stretched around the room as everyone pondered this new, very basic, problem.

 

"Maybe," said the pilot suddenly, "Maybe we could smash into Nauru as ourselves, rob a bank, then return in disguise and buy what we need."

 

"That's fucking stupid," replied Kyungsoo. Baekhyun shrugged.

 

"How much is a windshield liable to cost ?" Tao asked quietly.

 

"More than two dirigible plum farmers make, that's for sure," answered Luhan.

 

Kyungsoo walked back to the window, where the dark purple sky was now streaked with blue. He focused on the silhouette of his beloved ship while everyone else debated on the best course of action. Suddenly, he heard a very faint voice whispering his name. He turned to find Jongin's gaze fixed on him, but as soon as their eyes met the Carinean looked away.

The debate was still on-going between Baekhyun and Jongdae, with occasional input from Luhan and Minseok. Tao had closed his eyes and leaned his head back on his armchair, deep in thought. But it seemed to Kyungsoo that none of them really existed in the room but Jongin, who now shone brighter than ever before and seemed to absorb into himself all of the tangibility in the room.

The captain felt the pull of this strange force within himself, calling him to melt into Jongin's aura and let himself simply fall. He gave himself a small shake to get rid of this yearning, but it was less effective than before.

 

Jongin's eyes flickered back to him, and Kyungsoo was surprised to find anything but absolute certainty there. What else could be so magnetic ? But the golden man seemed troubled and hesitant.

 

"Perhaps," he said, so softly that only Kyungsoo heard him, "perhaps I could loan the money."

 

"You could loan us money ?" repeated the captain. Everyone stopped talking and turned to look at him.

 

"They just said they couldn't," replied Baekhyun with a frown.

 

"What ?"

 

"Luhan and Tao can't possibly lend us the money we need."

 

"I wasn't talking to - Jongin just -" But Jongin was looking at him with wide eyes. "Didn't you guys hear Jongin just now ?"

 

"I didn't say anything -"

 

Luhan and Tao shared a knowing look.

 

"But," continued Jongin, "I was just pondering that, actually. You seem to have read my thoughts," he looked at Kyungsoo with the ghost of a smile on his lips. "I could potentially loan you the money you need. I have a fair amount."

 

Minseok raised his eyebrows. "Where's the catch ?"

 

"Well.. it would be very dangerous. I think I may have been the main target of the explosion that caused the wreck where you guys found me." Jongin paused, chewing his lip. "If I take any money out of my account, the people I suspect of wanting me dead will be able to triangulate my location. Knowing them, there would be no mercy for anyone they found with me."

 

All of a sudden a great weight seemed to have fallen on the room, and everyone was silent, pondering the great danger that Jongin brought to their gathering.

 

"Fuck me," said Baekhyun after a while. "You have a massive galactic bounty on your head _and_ the people who employ you want to kill you ? That seems unfair."

 

Jongin laughed. "I know. I have a lot of shit to sort out."

 

"Well," said Kyungsoo slowly, "maybe we can help."

 

He leaned forward, both hands on the table, and explained the plan that had just come to him. Jongin leaned back in his chair, eyes fixed on Kyungsoo with a strange intensity.

 

"This sounds very dangerous," said Tao when the captain had finished.

 

"It is," Kyungsoo nodded and looked at his crew. "I would require none of you to join me."

 

"I've always thought I'd die in a gunfight anyway," replied Baekhyun.

 

Minseok and Jongdae shared a look. Then, Minseok's face softened and he reached for Jongdae's hand with a tenderness Kyungsoo had never imagined him capable of.

 

"Wherever you go, I'll follow. You know that."

 

Jongdae nodded. He moved closer to lean his forehead against Minseok's own and stayed still for a moment before straightening and speaking slowly :

 

"It's my crew and my captain. I want to go, even if the risk is death."

 

"If that's what you find," said Minseok, "I'll follow you there too." He turned his gaze to Kyungsoo and nodded while Jongdae spoke.

 

"We're coming too."

 

"You asshole !" Yelled Baekhyun, who had just managed to collect himself from the surprise of what he had just seen. "You gave me and Kyungsoo shit for sleeping together ?!"

 

"Baek -" said Kyungsoo at the same time. "Please just -" The captain threw a quick look at Jongin and found his eyes fixed on him again. He blushed. "It's not.. fuck."

 

"I can't believe this !" Baekhyun growled at Jongdae. "Why didn't you tell me ?!"

 

"I thought you knew ?" Jongdae shrugged. "You kept making innuendos."

 

"I'm _always_ making innuendos !!"

 

"Look, Baek -" started Jongdae.

 

"This is a fucking betrayal ! I thought we were friends !""

 

Minseok leaned forward. "Don't you think you're overreacting a little ?"

 

"Fuck off !" Yelled the pilot before stomping out of the room.

 

Everyone was silent in his wake, until finally Kyungsoo cleared his throat. "Sorry about that," he looked at Tao and Luhan, who seemed rather amused by the whole scene. "He's a bit of a dramatic person."

 

"It's fine," Tao smiled. "Maybe we should see about finding you all some beds for tonight. You need to rest up before you do anything as serious as what you have planned."

 

Kyungsoo nodded and thanked him, feeling that he could sleep for an entire week and still not be ready. They rose from the table and followed after Luhan while Tao disappeared in a room to the left. At the door, Jongin paused to turn to Kyungsoo. His face was troubled and his magnetic aura seemed weakened. Kyungsoo saw him for what he really was : a lonely man facing impossible odds.

 

"Kyungsoo," he said very softly, head bent, "Are you certain you want to do this ?"

 

"Well," the captain pondered, "I feel like I would be a bit of a dick if I went back on my word at this point."

 

"You're gambling your life for a being you've only just met."

 

"Every day is a gamble in space."

 

Jongin sighed. "I know, but.. I need to make sure. My people are.. we're convincing, I guess. You might have felt it. I can get people to do what I want them to, fairly easily. Moreso when they find me attractive. I guess it's a good thing you don't find me attractive, then, but I still want to be certain you're not being influenced."

 

"I'm not being influenced. I just really need to fix my ship, and I think the Jedi are assholes anyway." Kyungsoo went through the doorway and patted him awkwardly on the shoulder. Jongin gave him a weak smile and followed him to the shared room Luhan was preparing for them. 

 

 

 

*

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very soft for XiuChen where Xiumin is this insanely powerful being who follows normal Chen around for no other reason than he's adorable


	8. It goes down, down baby

 

*

 

 

Kyungsoo ran his fingers through his hair for what felt like the millionth time that day, but he was still surprised with its floaty, soft texture. Luhan had treated it with the products he used, and dyed it a soft blue colour. Along with the purple contact lenses and blue tinge to his skin, he looked like a native dweller of the Black Lagoon, and he could only hope that would be enough.

 

Jongin was sitting on the other side of Luhan and Tao's small barge, and staring off into the space between the islands of the Black Lagoon. They hadn't bothered to disguise him, but he had received a change of clothes and also strapped his silver cylinder (which Kyungsoo now realized was probably the light sabre) to his thigh. The soft, dark grey outfit made a pleasant contrast with his golden skin.

Baekhyun was at the front of the barge, marvelling at the distant view of Nauru that they were making for. He'd been dyed generally blue also, while Jongdae, in the back of the barge, had been made purple. Minseok hadn't been disguised, since he was a fairly recent addition to the crew and therefore hadn't partaken in the illegal activities that had gotten the FTL Tempo banned from the Black Lagoon.

 

"It wasn't much, seriously," mumbled Kyungsoo when Luhan asked for an explanation. "We stole, like, one battery.. From the big tower in the middle of the city. They had plenty to spare."

 

Luhan gaped. "You stole a harbulary battery and you still made it out alive ? Good Yoda - easy there !"

 

The barge lurked slightly as a massive ship went by them and disturbed the air currents they were floating on. A few airfish skipped about them, catching the sunlight on their wings. The towers of Nauru glimmered in the distance, drawing closer by the minute. They were many-coloured and caught the pastel glow of the mesosphere, bathing the city in a warm light that was like walking in a hall of stained glass windows.

 

The FTL Tempo was following behind them, pulled by a long chain. They'd scratched the name off, breaking a piece of Kyungsoo's heart in the process. Baekhyun had cried a little and even Minseok had seemed upset. But it couldn't be claimed as scavenge-loot if the name was still on it, so they did what they had to.

 

They'd gone over the plan, schedules and rendezvous points several times, but it never felt like enough. So much could go wrong. Kyungsoo tried hard not to imagine every potential monkey wrench, even as the barge pulled into Nauru's massive spaceport and made for the personal barge harbour. He pulled his hood up, disappearing into its reassuring darkness, and once the ship was docked, one by one they went up the ladder. When they were all assembled on the dock, Kyungsoo gave them one last pep talk.

 

"Okay everyone. You know the drill. Everyone be as efficient as possible. Jongin and I will make our way through the back alleys to meet up with you guys once we're done, and - well. Hope for the best."

 

They all nodded, looking slightly on edge, and headed off two by two in various directions. Jongin and Kyungsoo stayed behind, watching them disappear into the bustle of the port.

 

"Well," Kyungsoo took a deep breath, "Where to now ?"

 

Though it had been a while since his last visit, Jongin seemed to remember the layout of the city perfectly.

 

"To the centre," he grinned, taking off at a rapid pace.

 

They made their way through the hustle and bustle of the great city. It was market day down at the docks, which was a relief to Kyungsoo. It was easier to disappear in the crowd of colourful people selling airfish wings and tiny space rocks. The Kep-Mok bloodticks vendors were everywhere, selling their wares in varying degrees of freshness that Kyungsoo was very glad he hadn't seen before ingesting the stew.

 

He lingered for a moment by a stall that sold a vast array of small electronic gadgets, examining a filtering device that would be very useful for the ship. As he was pondering if the price was worth never smelling the smoke from Minseok's foul X'rmantian pipe again, Jongin grasped his hand and pulled him along.

 

"Didn't you say time was of the essence ?" He gave the captain a blinding smile, leaving him to wonder how it was that no one in the whole market seemed to care that Jongin was in their midst. There were a few looks but no rampaging crowd come to see their saviour. They went on unimpeded, and the low buildings and warehouses surrounding the docks soon gave way to taller, cleaner ones. The crowd was thinner here, but the scope of the city was so vast that Kyungsoo felt no fear of recognition.

Soon they reached the tallest buildings, and here Jongin veered off to the right, towards a large pink skyscraper with degrees like a very thin and long pyramid. About halfway up, a large sign read : Goldman Space. Kyungsoo snorted.

 

"Your bank account is at Goldman Space ? Isn't that a little on the nose ?"

 

Jongin shrugged. "What can I say, I like symmetry."

 

They stopped a block away from the building and radioed the others. As their business had been in the area of the docks, it was likely that they'd be done sooner - and indeed, Baekhyun and Luhan had just finished registering the ship under Baekhyun's fake name. Minseok and Jongdae, meanwhile, had found a mechanic who'd trained with Minseok and seemed disinclined to ask questions. The ship was being transferred to his shop at the moment.

 

They crossed the street after bidding their friends good luck, and settled in a tiny Starbucks to scope out the bank.

 

"We're looking for anyone wearing a poop-coloured robe," muttered Jongin as he sipped his seasonal latte, eyeing the bank's lobby suspiciously.

 

"Just poop ? I thought the Jedi were all about that boring beigy colour."

 

"That was five years ago. For a spiritual order they're surprisingly on-trend with their robes."

 

Kyungsoo snorted again. "I didn't realise poop was in."

 

Jongin looked at him. "You don't strike me as a very fashionable person. You've been wearing the same black clothes ever since we met."

 

"What ? That's nonsense, I totally changed my pants -"

 

"So how many pairs of the same black pants do you own ?" The golden man grinned, and Kyungsoo felt his outrage slide to the background.

 

"I don't give a shit what you think. It's functional."

 

"What about the Magic Sword t-shirt ? Is that functional too ?" Jongin pointed at the t-shirt Kyungsoo seemed to always be wearing, half-hidden by his jacket. Three faceless people, the middle one holding a gigantic ornate sword, stood side-by-side, mysteriously ominous.

 

"Only in the sense that Magic Sword is a fucking great band. I'll play you some when we get back to the Tempo."

 

Jongin smiled. "If Baekhyun hasn't claimed your record collection as his."

 

"You know, he just might ? It's hard to know what dumb thing he'll do next just to annoy me."

 

As Kyungsoo sipped his own drink, which tasted faintly flowery, Jongin seemed to be wrestling with something. Finally, he put his cup down and, without quite looking Kyungsoo in the eye, spoke.

 

"Are you and Baekhyun - is he your mate ?"

 

Kyungsoo shrugged. "He's the first mate, yeah. Pilots usually are."

 

"Do captain and first mates generally -" Jongin chewed his lip, hesitating. "Do they generally - fuck ?"

 

Kyungsoo sputtered as his drink went down his airway. "What - no - shit." The coffee had gone everywhere. He grabbed some napkins and started patting his shirt delicately, hoping the stains wouldn't become permanent.

 

"No," he said after a short while with a sigh. "No, they don't. Nebulas do weird things to you. We'd been cruising through it for a long time and Baekhyun just sort of.. suggested something to pass the time."

 

Jongin nodded slowly. He seemed to be digesting this information and was about to speak again when someone approached their table.

 

"I'm sorry, are you Kai WhiWhi ?" The person, face hidden in a deep hood, asked in a trembling voice.

 

Jongin looked up, surprised. "Yes, I am," he smiled.

 

But the smile faded when the hooded stranger pulled out a gun, hands shaking, and pointed it straight at him.

 

 

 

___

 

 

 

Across the city, Baekhyun and Luhan were making their way to the mechanic shop through the massive system of warehouses and alleyways that made up the dock. Everything at the Loot Bureau had gone smoothly and they walked with a spring in their step. Their job was mostly done.

 

"Want some ice-cream ?" Asked Luhan suddenly as they passed a colourful stall.

 

Baekhyun's eyes widened happily, then narrowed when he got closer to the stall. "This is ice-cream ?"

 

"Sure, look," Luhan explained after handing the vendor a bill. "He scrapes the nuts into the rice-flour wrap and then ice-cream on top, fold it and there you go."

 

He received the two snacks and handed one to Baekhyun, who nibbled the side of the wrapped treat carefully.

 

"This is great ! Can you take a picture for me ?" After giving Luhan his tiny camera, he struck a pose in front of the stall. The vendor joined in with a thumbs-up, causing Luhan to laugh and thank him.

 

"Are you documenting this ?" He asked when they started walking again.

 

Baekhyun shook his head. "It's for my friend Chanyeol. He works on another ship so we never really know when we'll get to catch up. But he loves ice cream. Had to get a picture to show him this kind."

 

"The same Park Chanyeol whose name you gave at the Loot Bureau ?"

 

"Yes ! We've been friends since we dropped out of the Academy together." Baekhyun chuckled as he recalled past shenanigans. "He's almost got me killed more times than I care to remember."

 

"That sounds unsafe," replied Luhan matter-of-factly.

 

Baekhyun shrugged. "Safe is boring. I like being kept on toes, and not just by a massive dick."

 

This caused Luhan to choke on his ice cream, and they walked some distance in silence as he tried to regain both composure and breath while Baekhyun chewed his snack contentedly. They passed warehouses in varying degrees of decrepitude, and even a few dingy apartment blocks here and there. As they walked by a tiny square filled with wavy, tentacled plants, Luhan finished his snack and cleared his throat.

 

"Baekhyun," he spoke hesitantly, "Can I ask you something ?"

 

"Sure."

 

"Are you opposed to romantic relationships ?"

 

The pilot frowned. "What ?"

 

"Tao and I - we didn't quite understand why you were upset yesterday. At Jongdae and Minseok, I mean. Is it because they're in love ?"

 

Baekhyun felt a shadow of annoyance pass over him, but Luhan's tone was sincerely innocent and encouraged him to ponder the question seriously.

 

"No," he said presently. "I'm fine with them being together. I just... I wish he'd told me." He sighed deeply. "I don't understand why he felt the need to keep this secret from me."

 

"But you kept a secret too ?"

 

"Only because Kyungsoo asked me not to say anything. And I didn't really keep it, either. Kyungsoo and I just slept together a few times, it's not like we're in love." He tossed his empty wrapper in a nearby trashcan.

 

Luhan looked confused. "To my people love is everything. I can't fathom having sex with someone I didn't love."

 

"Humans are pretty easy, I guess," Baekhyun smiled.

 

"Will you forgive Jongdae ?"

 

"Of course. When he apologizes."

 

"Oh !" Said Luhan suddenly. "We're here !"

 

They were standing before a large grey warehouse that looked like it had stood there for a very long time. Rust was creeping up its sides, but the large sign that read "WU REPAIR SHOP" was clean and the door swung open on its own when they approached.

 

The man behind the counter seemed larger than was fair, but he greeted them both pleasantly enough.

 

"Hello," he said with a yawn. "Sorry, long day. What can I do for you ?" He ran a hand through his purple hair and then rubbed the sleep from his face. "Okay for real now, I'm ready - How can I help you ?"

 

"You're repairing a ship that we've claimed as loot," Baekhyun announced, producing the stamped paperwork with a flourish.

 

"Okay, I'll process this. You guys can sit over there while I -" He stopped and frowned, bringing the paperwork closer to his eyes. Then he looked back up at Baekhyun, and then over to Luhan. "- while I process this," he finished quickly.

 

"Is everything okay ?"

 

The clerk nodded lightly. "Yes, we'll be done with your new ship real soon, Mr. Park. You go ahead into the waiting area."

 

They headed for the waiting room feeling vaguely unsettled. There, they found Jongdae and Minseok engaged in a game of Mario-Kart which, as a Terran nerd, Luhan soon became fascinated by. Baekhyun couldn't quite sit still, and he kept walking to the door to check on the clerk. He'd had a similar reaction to the people at the Loot Bureau, where they'd encountered some raised eyebrows. But everything seemed normal enough as he scribbled away and even started humming to himself. After a while, he decided he might as well sit down and watch Luhan try out a race for himself.

 

He vaguely heard the sound of the door open and then voices at the front desk, before the clerk called for him :

 

"Park Chanyeol ? Your ship is ready."

 

Baekhyun jumped up and hurried out, stopping a couple feet away from the desk. There at the counter stood none other than Park Chanyeol himself, along with Oh Sehun. They were both dyed purple and gaping at Baekhyun.

 

"What are you -"

 

"Wait -"

 

"What the HELL -"

 

And that was when a police unit burst through the door, guns out and trained on Baekhyun, their leader shouting : "PARK CHANYEOL, THIS BUILDING IS SURROUNDED. ONE WRONG MOVE AND YOU'RE TOAST."

 

Chanyeol turned slowly to meet Baekhyun's eyes with an air of barely contained panic. "You've been using my name _here_ ?!" He mouthed.

 

Baekhyun, raising his hands slowly, palms forward, replied in a hiss : "You have a fucking bounty on your head ?!"

 

"STOP TALKING," shrieked the police leader.

 

"Okay, okay - sorry !"

 

"What's going on ?" Jongdae's head poked out of the doorway and immediately drained of its colour, causing him to look like a washed out grape.

 

"PARK CHANYEOL, FACE-DOWN ON THE FLOOR NOW."

 

"I said okay already ! Cool it ! I'm cooperating !" Baekhyun yelled, slowly getting down to his knees. He was halfway there when the lights in the shop went out completely and a large hand seized his arm, dragging him roughly to his feet and away from the ensuing commotion.

 

"WHAT THE FUCK !!" The police leader was yelling, in unison with Jongdae's dulcet tones.

 

And as he felt himself be dragged away into the darkest recesses of the shop, Baekhyun pondered the oddity of this day he was having, and vaguely hoped that Kyungsoo and Jongin were having a better one.

 

 

 

*

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They say the best way to get yourself out of writer's block is to throw your characters in deep shit and uh
> 
> yeah. 
> 
>  
> 
> This marks the end of Act II : The Black Lagoon. 
> 
> Gravity will return next week with Act III : Across The Stars.
> 
>  
> 
> (also Magic Sword is a real band it's fucking rad :D)


End file.
